A Catechism, Chapter 12 – Chapter 14
CHAP. 12. Of mans deliverance.
Q. HAving spoken of the state of man by creation, and his estate of corruption, let us now come to the third estate, the state of grace in this life; and first tell me whether there be any ability in man to deliver himselfe from his sinfull and miserable estate?
A. None at all; because man being dead in trespasses and sinnes, hath no more ability to recover himselfe to spirituall life, then he that is bodily dead to recover himselfe to bodily life. Eph. 2. 1. & 4. 18.
Q. How else may this inability of man appeare?
A. Man of himselfe is without strength aRom. 5. 6.to any thing that is good; and moreover, if he had power unto it, yet he hath no will to seek after God bIsa. 65. 1. Rom. 3. 11., but to depart further and further from him cGen. 3. 8.yea to expresse all enmity against himdRom. 8. 7.
Q. What may be a further reason to shew that man cannot deliver himselfe?
A. Man being a creature, is but finite; and the Majesty and Justice of God which by sinne is offended and wronged, is infinite.
Q. What doe you infer from thence?
A. Because there can be nothing in a finite sinning nature to satisfie an infinite offended Majesty; but such a nature must be ever in satisfying, and never have satisfied; therefore it was not possible that man should deliver himselfe from his sinfull and miserable estate.
Q If man could not deliver himselfe, might be not be delivered by some other creature?
A. There is no man that can give a ransom to redeem another, so much as from bodily death ePsal. 49. 7.and much lesse from spiritual and eternal death.
Q. But if one man could not redeem another, what doe you say of other creatures?
A. Other creatures are none of them of the same nature with man, and are all of them but finite, even the Angels themselves; and therefore none of them can make satisfaction to the infinite Majesty of God.
Q. If infinite justice must needs he satisfied, and neither man nor other creature are able to doe this; how then was there any possibility that man should ever be delivered from this wretched estate?
A. The mercy of God is so infinite that he might be willing that man should be delivered, and his wisdome such that he could finde out some way and means of deliverance; and his power such that he was able to accomplish the way which his wisdom should devise; and therefore there was a possibility that man should be delivered.
Q. But whether is there any way of deliverance already found out, and man actually recovered?
A. Yes, the Lord hath wrought redemption, and raised up an horne of salvation for his people, Psal. 111. 9. Luke 1. 69.
Q. Is God himselfe then the Authour of mans deliverance?
A. Mans misery being sinne against God, and punishment from God, therefore God onelyonly must be the authour of his deliverance, if he ever be delivered.
Q. What moved God to work mans deliverance?
A. Not because he had any need of man e, for he could have been absolute and alsufficient of himselfe, if all men had perished everlastingly, as he was before man had any being.cIob 22. 3. & 35. 7. Rom. 11. 25.
Q. Did God procure mans deliverance, because man did so deserve?
A. Man deserved it not, but the contrary, because he fell wilfully from that happy estate wherein he was created, whenas he might have continued happy if he would: therefore it had been no unrighteous thing if God had left him in that misery whereinto he had brought himselfe, Pro. 1. 31.
Q. Did the Lord worke the deliverance of man, because man did importunately seek and sue unto him for the same?
A. Man did not seek and sue unto God at all, but fled from him, Gen 3. 8. Rom. 3. 11. And if he had sought unto God for helpe, God was not bound to afford it; and how much lesse when he sought it not?
Q. If God did not worke the deliverance of man because himselfe had need of it, or because man did desire it, what then was the cause that moved him to it?
A. OnelyOnly his free grace, mercy, and love, Iohn 3. 16. Eph. 2. 4, 5. Titus 3. 4, 5.
Q. What is the true way and means of deliverance?
A. OnelyOnly the Lord Jesus Christ, Genes 3. 15. Acts 4. 12. 1 Iohn 5. 12.
CHAP. 13. Of the person of Christ, and his divine and humane nature?
Q. WHat things are to be known and believed concerning Christ?
A. His Person, his Office, his Actions, the benefits that come by him, and the means how we are made partakers of him and all his benefits.
Q. What is his person?
A. It is God and man united together in one person.
Q. How may it be proved that Christ is God?
A. By sundry places of Scripture, wherein he is expresly so called, Isa. 9. 6. Iohn 1. 1. Rom. 9. 5. Phil. 2. 6. 1 Iohn 5. 2….
Q. How else?
A. Because Eternity aIsa. 9. 6. Pro. 8. 22. Iohn 8. 58. & 17. 5. Col. 1. 15. Rev. 1. 8.Omnipotency bRev. 1. 8. Iohn 3. 31.Omniscience cIohn 21. 7. & 2. 24, 25. Rev. 2. 23. Mat. 9. 4.and Omnipresence dIohn 3. 13. Mat. 28. 20. Eph. 3. 17.which are properties peculiar to God, are all of them ascribed unto Christ.
Q. How else may the Godhead of Christ be proved?
A. Because the creation of the world e1 Iohn 1. 3. 10. Col. 1. 16.the forgivenesse of sinnes fMat. 6. 9.the working of miracles gLuke 8. 31. & 4. 36. Mat. 10 1.which are workes that can be done by none but God, are all of them ascribed to him as the authour of them; and because he is made a lawfull object of divine worshiphHeb. 1. 6. Iohn 14. 1.
Q. Why was it requisite that Christ our Saviour should be God?
A. That he might beare the weight of Gods wrath without sinking under the same iExod. 27. 1.that he might overcome death kActs 2. 24.and his sufferings might be of sufficient worth and value to satisfie the infinite justice of GodlActs 20. 28.
Q. Is Christ also truely partaker of the nature of man?
A. Yes, for he is frequently called man, and the sonne of man m1 Tim. 2. 5. Mat. 8. 20.and said to be made flesh nIohn 1. 14.and partaker of flesh and bloodoHeb. 2. 14. Luke 24. 39.
Q. Why was it requisite that he should be man?
A. That he might suffer death for us pHeb. 2. 14.sanctisie our nature qHeb. 2. 11.and that we might have accesse with boldnesse unto GodrHeb. 4 15, 16.
Q. But sith he was God from everlasting, how came be to be man also?
A. When the fulnesse of time was come sGal. 4. 4.he became man, not after the ordinary and usuall way of generation by man and woman together, but he was conceived by the holy Ghost in the womb of a Virgin, without a fathertMat. 1. 20. Luke 1. 34, 55. Heb. 7. 3.
Q. Sith there are two natures in Christ, the Divine and humane, whether is Christ then two persons?
A. By no means, but one onelyonly, 1 Cor. 8. 6. 1 Tim. 2. 5.
Q. But is not Christ a person in respect of his Godhead?
A. Yes, the second person in the blessed Trinity.
Q. Is not another man who hath the whole nature of man in him, both body and soule, a perfect person?
A. Yes, it is even so.
Q. Why then is not the humane nature in Christ a distinct person?
A. Because it never had subsisting and being of it selfe, but in the person of the Son of God being assumed unto it from the first moment of its being, Heb. 2. 16.
Q. If both the humane and divine nature be in Christ, and yet Christ but one person; is then the Godhead become the manhood, and the manhood the Godhead?
A. Not so; this Union of two natures in one person doth not confound the two natures, nor destroy the properties of either; but these still remain unconfounded and distinct in that one person.
CHAP. 14. Of the Office of Christ to be a Mediator.
Q. HAving spoken of the person of Christ, tell in the next place what is Christs Office?
A. His Office in the generall is to be a Mediator between God and man, to worke reconciliation betwixt them. 1 Tim. 25. 2 Cor. 5. 18, 19.
Q. What need was there of such a Mediator?
A. Very much need, because by the sinne of man there was now grown enmity between them, God being offended with man, and man being enemy to God. Rom. 5. 9, 10. Col. 2. 21.
Q. Is Christ the onelyonly Mediator? or are there not others that may be mediators also?
A. Properly there is no other mediator between God and man but Christ onelyonly, 1 Tim. 2. 5. Iohn 14. 6.
Q. Who gave Christ a Commission or calling to the Office of a mediator?
A. As no man can lawfully intrude himselfe into any office without a lawfull calling, no more did Christ intrude himselfe into the office of a Mediator, but was lawfully called and authorized thereunto by the father, Isa 42. 1, 6. Iohn 6. 29. & 10. 36. Heb. 5. 4, 5.
Q. How was he furnished with gifts and abilities for discharge of this office?
A. As God never calleth any to any office, but he gives them gifts requisite thereto: so Christ was furnished with all wisdom & knowledge, and other gifts of the spirit, that might fully fit him for his office of Mediator, Col. 2. 3. Isa. 11. 2. & 61. 1. & Heb. 1. 9. Iohn 3. 34.
Q. Whether is Christ Mediator according to his humane nature, or according to his divine?
A. The office of mediation belongeth to whole Christ, as he is God and man, and not in respect of either nature alone.
Q. How may that appeare?
A. A Mediator should be a fit and middle person to deale between two that are at variance: but if our mediator be considered as God onelyonly, he should then be too high to treat with man, and had he been man only he should have been too low for God.
Q. VVhat may be a further reason thereof?
A. If the acts of his mediation doe proceed from him, being considered onelyonly as God, they then cannot be applicatory unto us; and if they proceed from him onelyonly as man, they then cannot be of sufficient value to be satisfactory unto God.
Q. Doe you then think that in the execution of his office of mediator both the natures doe joyntly concurre?
A. It is even so indeed; God-man, whose Christ is our mediator.
Q. How long hath Christ had this office?
A. In respect of Gods decree he was appointed to it from eternity a1 Pet. 1. 20. 2 Tim. 1. 9.in respect of vertue and efficacy he was mediator from the beginning of the world when need wasbGen. 315. Rev. 13. 8. Heb. 138.
Q. But when was he manifested in the flesh?
A. In respect of his manifestation in the flesh, he was given in the fulnesse of time in these latter daies, 1 Pet. 1. 20. Gal. 4. 4. 1 Tim. 2. 6.
Q. VVhat is the effect and benefit of his mediatorship?
A. Hereby God and man that were at enmity are reconciled together againe, and made one, Col. 1. 20. Eph. 1. 10. & 2. 14, 15.